Design study, Environment
Shorebird Nesting Season
A self-initiated design study: Get beach users to stay outside roped nesting areas and keep dogs leashed during nesting season.
These are self-initiated studies, not client work. Each is a fictional campaign; none was commissioned by, produced for, or approved by any agency or organization.
The brief
- Line of business
- Environment
- Audience
- Beach walkers, dog owners, and kite flyers who use the sand near shorebird nesting sites.
- Objective
- Get beach users to stay outside roped nesting areas and keep dogs leashed during nesting season.
- When and where
- March through September, Beaches along the bay
Concept A: Hidden in Plain Sight 12
Shows a speckled egg that looks just like a pebble, so people realize nests are nearly invisible and easy to crush. Type style.
Concept B: Leash and Loop 12
Gives dog owners and walkers two clear actions, leash up and walk around the ropes, nothing more. Scene style.
Concept C: Do Not Disturb 12
Treats the nesting area like a hotel room with the sign on the door, an image everyone gets instantly. Grid style.
Spanish adaptation of Hidden in Plain Sight 12
The first direction adapted rather than translated: the headline, supporting line, and call to action rewritten in Spanish, with the layout reflowed for the longer text. Type style.
What was checked
Every one of the 48 pieces was checked as it was composed. The lowest text contrast measured anywhere in this study is 5.08 to 1, against a minimum of 4.5 to 1. Type sizes are in the units of each format: pixels for digital formats, and for print, units of the drawing at the sizes shown.
| Format | Minimum type size | Smallest set | Lowest contrast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poster, 18 by 24 inches | 11 | 13.2 | 5.08 to 1 |
| Flyer, letter | 11 | 13.5 | 5.08 to 1 |
| Social story, vertical | 13 | 13.0 | 5.08 to 1 |
| Retractable banner | 10 | 10.0 | 5.08 to 1 |
| Display ad, 160 by 600 | 10 | 10.0 | 5.08 to 1 |
| Social post, square | 13 | 13.2 | 5.08 to 1 |
| Display ad, 300 by 250 | 10 | 10.0 | 5.08 to 1 |
| Postcard, 6 by 4 inches | 13 | 13.2 | 5.08 to 1 |
| Event cover | 12 | 12.0 | 5.08 to 1 |
| Billboard | 12 | 12.0 | 5.08 to 1 |
| Email header | 11 | 11.0 | 5.08 to 1 |
| Display ad, 728 by 90 | 10 | 10.0 | 5.08 to 1 |